Meng Huaize gathered up the scattered remains of his herb basket from the grass, carefully setting it down on the ground with the opening facing Wu Yue. He then quickly backed up a few steps, waiting for Wu Yue to crawl inside.
Wu Yue glanced coldly at the herb basket, making no move. “You want me to stay in there?”
“What else? How are we going to get down the mountain?” Meng Huaize suddenly had a terrifying thought and stammered in alarm, “You… you want me to carry you?”
Wu Yue thought that this option didn’t seem too bad.
He lazily stretched his body and then raised a front paw toward Meng Huaize.
Meng Huaize shook his head wildly, panicking as he frantically looked around, unsure if he was trying to find a way to save himself or something to nudge Wu Yue into the herb basket.
Before he could find anything, Wu Yue grew impatient and let out a low, threatening growl from the depths of his throat. Though his current form lacked the intimidating power of an adult wolf, it was more than enough to scare Meng Huaize.
Trembling, Meng Huaize finally extended his arms stiffly in front of him, like two rigid planks of wood. He squatted down, preparing to scoop Wu Yue up.
Just as he was about to touch Wu Yue, the wolf cub withdrew his paw suddenly, grimacing in disgust. “You’re covered in that filthy snake’s blood. It’s disgusting.”
Earlier, Meng Huaize had been wrapped in the snake’s tail and then pressed beneath the snake spirit’s body, leaving his clothes completely soaked in its blood. He was indeed filthy.
“What should I do, then?” Meng Huaize asked, trembling.
“Take off your clothes.”
“What?” Meng Huaize looked at his own clothes, then at Wu Yue.
Wu Yue impatiently repeated, “Hurry up and take them off.”
Meng Huaize’s gaze swept over the many bloody wounds on the little wolf cub’s body. He couldn’t understand how this wolf, even in such a dire state, could still be so particular!
Reluctantly, Meng Huaize took off his outer robe. Although his inner garments were also stained with blood, they were relatively cleaner.
Only then did Wu Yue reluctantly allow Meng Huaize to pick him up.
At first, Meng Huaize was terrified, worried that the wolf spirit might suddenly lash out and kill him. But when he actually held the wolf cub, his fear subsided a little.
Wu Yue was no longer the towering, fierce beast he had been earlier; now, his body was only the length of Meng Huaize’s arm. His fur, once sharp and imposing, was now soft and fluffy. Meng Huaize looked down at the cub’s numerous deep wounds, some of which nearly exposed bone. His heart softened, and he handled Wu Yue more gently, afraid of hurting him. Gradually, his fear eased.
As night fell, the man and the wolf finally began their descent down the mountain.
However, after walking a short distance, Wu Yue voiced his displeasure again: “Why do you still smell so strong?”
He had barely lifted his head to glance at Meng Huaize when the latter quickly responded, “I can’t take off any more!”
“Why not?” Wu Yue asked.
Meng Huaize’s face flushed a little. “There are lots of people at the foot of the mountain. If my clothes are in disarray and I run into any young women, it would be very improper…”
Wu Yue didn’t understand what propriety meant. “What if I insist you take them off?”
Meng Huaize’s face remained red, but now it was no longer out of embarrassment.
He clenched his fists and, with a tragic resolve, declared, “Then just kill me!”
Though his words were righteous and bold, his body was still trembling uncontrollably. Wu Yue noticed this and stared at him for a moment before laying back down, scoffing, “I already said I won’t kill you for now.”
Despite his words, Wu Yue still couldn’t tolerate the scent of the snake spirit’s blood lingering on Meng Huaize. Although a human’s sense of smell was dull, to Wu Yue, the stench was unbearable, especially with his injuries. The remaining traces of the snake spirit’s demonic energy in the blood repelled him even more.
After a long back-and-forth, Wu Yue reluctantly agreed to be placed in Meng Huaize’s herb basket.
By now, night had fallen completely, and the path down the mountain was difficult. Meng Huaize stumbled a little as he walked.
Wu Yue lay comfortably in the basket, resting on a thick layer of herbs. The fresh scent of the plants helped mask the unpleasant odor from earlier, and Wu Yue felt more satisfied. He shouted at the man in front, “Slow down!”
A moment later, he grumbled again, “Why are you shaking so much? Walk steadily!”
Meng Huaize, who was typically mild-mannered and rarely argued with others, found his fear lessened by the wolf cub’s arrogance and rudeness. His frustration began to rise, and he retorted, “Well, if you don’t like it, why don’t you walk down yourself?”
The cub in the basket let out an indignant growl, threatening, “Think carefully before you speak, or I’ll kill you.”
Meng Huaize was momentarily taken aback. “But you promised not to kill me…”
“That was just earlier,” Wu Yue said, showing no interest in reason. “I can change my mind at any time.”
Meng Huaize fell silent, regretting ever making a deal with this stubborn wolf cub or even trying to help him in the first place. He wished he could go back in time and knock some sense into his earlier self.
Above them, the silver moon slowly rose, and the sounds of the mountain night rustled around Wu Yue’s keen ears. He could hear everything: the slight labored breathing of Meng Huaize from the exertion of walking, and the unique human scent clinging to him.
This was Wu Yue’s first encounter with a human.
The Nine-Move Mountain range was vast, inhabited by many spirits and monsters. Most were born and died within the boundaries of the mountain, living out their lives in solitude, rarely venturing outside. Some, however, like Wu Yue, enjoyed traveling to the remote and desolate edges of the world, where strange and vicious demons roamed. Other spirits, especially the weaker ones, were more drawn to the human realm, harboring strange fantasies about it. Some would sneak down, only to return soon after, usually in disgrace, rarely with joy.
The human realm seemed prosperous and bustling, yet it had little to do with them. The humans there might seem kind and good, but they, too, had no connection to the spirits. The fox that lived at the foot of the northern mountain had once ventured into the human world, marrying a scholar. When she returned, eight and a half of her nine tails had been cut off, leaving her barely alive, and she soon died. As for the small spirits of the western mountain, though they were spirits, they had no significant power. When they spent too much time in the human realm, their true nature would be exposed, and most barely escaped with their lives.
Over time, the human realm became a place to avoid for the spirits of Nine-Move Mountain. Its reputation grew darker and more sinister with each telling, and in the eyes of most spirits, humans were not considered good creatures at all.
Wu Yue rarely ventured into the human realm, and when he did, it was only when passing through while hunting other demons. His faint impressions of the human realm and humans were mostly formed by what he’d heard from the other spirits on Nine-Move Mountain. However, this first human he had encountered seemed somewhat different from the image he had in his mind.
“Hey, human,” Wu Yue called out.
“My name is Meng Huaize,” the man replied. “Courtesy name, Yunzhou.”
Wu Yue didn’t quite understand. “So, what’s your name, really?”
Meng Huaize patiently explained, “You can call me Meng Huaize or Meng Yunzhou, whichever you prefer.”
Wu Yue wasn’t particularly interested in the distinction and asked, “Why did you save me?”
Meng Huaize answered matter-of-factly, “If I didn’t save you, wouldn’t you have died?”
“And what does it matter to you if I die?” Wu Yue retorted. “Isn’t it more dangerous for you now that I’m alive?”
Meng Huaize just continued walking forward without replying.
Wu Yue grew irritated and shouted, “Meng Zezhou!”
“… It’s Meng Yunzhou,” Meng Huaize corrected softly.
Peering through the gaps in the herb basket, Wu Yue could see the hem of Meng Huaize’s clothes swaying as he walked. “I’ve heard that you humans seem kind on the outside, but deep down, you’re all rotten…”
Meng Huaize was surprised. “Why?”
“Everyone on Nine-Move Mountain knows this, and you as a human don’t?” Wu Yue sneered. “Especially the scholars from your human realm—they’re the worst.”
Meng Huaize suddenly stopped walking.
A thought struck him. The creature in his herb basket wasn’t really a wolf cub—it was a spirit. This spirit might have promised not to kill him for now, but it hadn’t promised not to kill others. If he carried it down the mountain, healed it, and it went on a killing spree in the human realm, wouldn’t he be responsible and guilty beyond redemption?
“Why did you stop?” Wu Yue asked.
“When we get to the foot of the mountain, will you kill other people?” Meng Huaize’s voice had grown somber.
“Although I don’t like humans, they didn’t steal my inner core,” Wu Yue said. “Why would I kill them?”
“I didn’t steal it either!” Meng Huaize blurted angrily. “I was forced to eat it!”
“Doesn’t matter how you ate it,” Wu Yue replied. “My inner core is inside you now.”
At this point, Meng Huaize realized he had no real defense, so he kept walking, muttering, “I just don’t want to see you die. Since I swallowed your inner core, if you want it back, deal with me alone. Don’t hurt anyone else.”
Wu Yue found this even more puzzling. “What do those other people have to do with you? Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your own life instead of theirs?”
After being in a constant state of fear and tension, Meng Huaize now felt a strange calmness, as if he were too tired to care anymore. He replied quietly, “If you keep talking so much, maybe it’s your life that’ll be in danger first.”
“That’s unlikely,” Wu Yue scoffed, sounding arrogant. “These wounds won’t kill me, and no wild animals in this mountain dare come near me.”
“Wait, what?” Meng Huaize was shocked. “Then why are you following me?”
“Who said I’m following you?” Wu Yue retorted indignantly. “Clearly, you’re the one stubbornly insisting on taking me along.”
“I… I…” Meng Huaize’s face turned red with anger, and for a long moment, he couldn’t find the words to respond.